Instant Replay

In Game 2 of the World Series last night, there were two blown calls. One was obvious, the other maybe a little tougher to call with the naked eye. But the bottom line is they were both called wrong.

View full sizeAfter Game 2 of the World Series, the umpires were back in the limelightWith runners on first and second in the seventh inning, Johnny Damon hit a line drive to first baseman Ryan Howard. The umpire, Brian Gorman, called Damon out. Howard started towards the first-base bag, but stopped and threw the ball wildly to second base. Shortstop Jimmy Rollins then tagged Jorge Posada, who was standing at second, to complete the double play. The umpires got together, but the call was upheld. Instead of one out with the bases loaded for Mark Teixeira and a chance for the Yankees to extend their lead, it was inning over.

If Howard was so sure he caught the ball, he could have just walked over to first and stepped on the bag to complete the double play. On the replay, you can see Howard, after throwing the ball to second, retreats back to first as if he was expecting a return throw to complete a 3-6-3 double play. It was clear he knew the ball had short hopped into his glove.

While the call obviously didn't come back to hurt the Yankees, the call that went against the Phillies was a huge moment in the game. In the eighth inning, with runners on first and second, Chase Utley was called out at first by Gorman on an inning-ending 4-6-3 double play. While it was a bang-bang play, but slow-motion replays showed he was safe. With the Yankees clinging onto a two-run lead and Mariano Rivera in the game, the Phillies would have had the bases loaded with one out for Howard. If the Phillies were able to knock around Rivera in that inning to tie the game or even take the lead, the World Series could have been over right there for the Yankees. Instead, it's 1-1 heading back to Philadelphia for Game 3 on Saturday night.

MLB commissioner Bud Selig has been adamant about not expanding instant replay. One reason he and other baseball purists give is that instant replaywill slow down the pace of the game. But isn't it worth stalling the game for 10 minutes to get the call right? I can understand in the regular season, but in crucial situations like these, one missed call can change a game. Should MLB expand instant replay? Or should they just expand it to the postseason? What would you do if you were the commissioner?